1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the printing art.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The following prior art is made of record: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,776,714; 4,956,045; 5,447,379; 5,486,259; 5,570,121; 5,588,756; 5,806,993 and 5,833,377; and Axiohm Thermal Printer Mechanism, User""s Manual THTP Series, Preliminary Issue, reference 3104660-FDE, October 1998.
This invention relates to an improved, compact, user-friendly, lightweight, small footprint, portable printer.
It is a feature of the invention to provide an improved printer wherein it is easy to load label supplies into the printer, wherein the print head is easy to clean, wherein the battery for powering the printer is easy to insert or remove, and other parts of the printer are readily accessible to the user.
In accordance with a specific embodiment of the invention, the printer has a housing containing a subassembly for mounting a print head, an electric motor and gearing driven by the motor. The housing includes another subassembly including a door for mounting a platen roll with a gear, a holder for holding a supply roll comprised either of labels releasably adhered to a carrier web, an adhesive-backed linerless web or a web of tags, a delaminator for delaminating labels from the carrier web, a pressure roller for urging the carrier web against the platen roll, a latch for latching the door to the housing, and a cam controlled by the latch for moving the pressure roll into and out of pressure contact with the platen roll. There is space within the housing for receiving a label roll. The subassembly with the motor is disposed above the label roll receiving space and is pivotal as a unit on the housing to urge the print head into cooperation with the platen roll and to bring the gearing into mesh with the gear on the platen roll. Space for receiving a battery is disposed below the label roll receiving space, and the label roll receiving space is disposed between the front door and an upstanding printed circuit board. The battery is received in a compartment having three sides. U-shaped conductors are received about the three sides of the battery compartment and make contact with the terminals of the battery and releasably detent the battery in the compartment.